Lamar Sports

Seward County sweeps two from Lamar

Lady 'Lopes riding 8-game losing streak

Ledger Staff Report

Posted:
04/02/2014 05:31:28 PM MDT

LCC's Maddy Jensen is congratulated by head coach Craig Brooks after she led off the bottom of fifth inning in the second game of a doubleheader against Seward County on Monday, March 31 at Citizen's Park. (John Contreras / Lamar Ledger)

The LCC Lady 'Lopes softball team was back at Citizen's Field for the first time since March 15 when they hosted the Seward County Lady Saints for a non-conference doubleheader on Monday, March 31

Seward County headed into the doubleheader riding an eight-game winning streak.

The Lady 'Lopes entered the day having lost five straight.

LCC was in both games until the later innings when Seward County emerged with a sweep by the scores of 13-5 and 7-4.

In the opener, the Lady Saints scored twice in the top half of the first inning.

Lamar answered with three hits from their first four batters to score twice to tie the game at 2.

In the top of the second, Seward scored three runs on four hits to make it 5-2.

After a quick 1-2-3 inning by Seward starter Brittany Hopkins in the second, the Lady Saints added another run in the third to build a 6-2 advantage.

A one out error by Seward proved costly as a double after the miscue scored Lamar's third run of the day. The 'Lopes got another run on what should have been the third out of the inning to cut the deficit to 6-4.

Lamar pulled to within 6-5 in the fourth after a leadoff walk turned into a run later in the inning.

Seward broke the game open in the fifth with seven runs including two home runs against LCC starter Joslynn Lopez.

Lamar went down quietly in the bottom half of the fifth as Hopkins, who earned her 14th win of the season, retired the side in order to close out a 10-run rule win for the Lady Saints.

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Seward pounded out 17 hits in the game while Lamar was held to just five.

In the second game, Seward took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.

It remained a 1-0 game until the bottom of the fourth when Seward starter Katelyn Craker gave up a two-run home run to Myranda Hernandez with two outs to give LCC the lead 2-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, LCC's Maddy Jensen led off with a triple and scored with two outs on a double by Allison Bourque that gave the Lady 'Lopes a 3-1 lead.

Seward answered with one run in the top of the sixth to cut the Lamar lead to 3-2.

LCC's Taylor DeBoer led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and advanced to third but was left stranded.

Lamar had two outs on the Lady Saints in the top of the seventh when pitcher Maddy Chadwick faced leadoff hitter Andrea Sitter.

On a 2-1 count, Sitter ripped a line drive to right field and over the head of the Lamar outfielder. Sitter raced around the bases to score on an inside the park home run to tie the game at 3-3.

Craker then went to work to retire LCC in order to send the game into extra innings knotted at 3-3.

In the eighth, Seward wasted no time in scoring.

LCC second baseman Allison Bourque makes a catch for the third out in the top of the sixth inning as she nearly collides with right fielder Kristina Morben during the second game of a doubleheader against Seward County on Monday, March 31. The Lady 'Lopes led the game, 3-1, after five innings when the Lady Saints rallied to tie it at 3-3 at the end of regulation. In the eighth inning, Seward County scored four runs and won the game 7-4 to complete a sweep. In the first game, LCC trailed by only 6-5 after four innings when the Lady Saints erupted for 7 runs in the fifth to spark a 13-5 victory. (John Contreras/The Lamar Ledger)

With a runner a second with the international tie-breaker, the Saints scored on ground ball to left field to go on top 4-3.

LCC coach Craig Brooks then made a pitching change and brought in Lopez.

Lamar errors led to three more runs for the Saints and 7-3 lead.

LCC also cashed in their extra base runner when Allison Bourque hit a line drive to right field on the first pitch to score Chadwick and make it 7-4.

A walk to Hernandez brought the tying run to the plate with nobody out in the inning.

After a ground out and a fly out, Craker won a 10 pitch at bat against her counterpart Lopez, who flied out to center field to end the threat and the game.

Seward finished with 9 hits in the game and took advantage of five Lamar errors.

With the sweep, Seward ran its record to 32-7 while Lamar fell to 16-19.

LCC returns to action for a doubleheader at Northeastern Jr. College on April 2 for the first of 16 road games.